Acts 8:31 (ESV)

31 And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

The seeker of God asks for help! How can I, unless someone guides me?Hodѐgѐo” (ESV: guides) means to lead, to bring someone somewhere. John 16:13 says it similarly: the Spirit will guide you into all the truth.

Note the way (“hodos,” Acts 8:26) of the Ethiopian and of Philip. The Ethiopian is on his way and gradually finds his way in the content of Isaiah.

The Bible, as God’s Word, is clear enough in its entirety, so that—under the guidance of the Holy Spirit—we can understand what is needed for our salvation. At the same time, we need explanation, and the Spirit gives us good guides who show the way to hearers and readers (see e.g., Acts 17:11; Romans 10:14; Ephesians 4:11). So, faith is by hearing, but how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard (Romans 10:14)? To explain the Bible is to point the way to Christ, and that is the basis of all hermeneutics (the art of explaining Scripture so that you understand the meaning of what you read). And still today, the Bible brings us to Jesus! The Spirit works in the prophet Isaiah and in the hearers and readers and places all the light on the saving name of Jesus Christ (compare Luke 24:46–48). The Ethiopian invited Philip to come up and sit with him in his chariot. He is seated beside this foreign dignitary so that together they can read from Isaiah.